Be Fruitful and Multiply

 

In the Garden, the first commandment God gives is not “don’t eat of the tree.” No, God tells Adam and Eve to be fruitful, multiply and take dominion over land and sea.  Listening to God, the marital bed, work, and family is as foundational now as it was then.

Genesis 1:27-30 (AMPC) 27 So God created man in His own image, in the image and likeness of God He created him; male and female He created them. 28 And God blessed them and said to them, Be fruitful, multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it [using all its vast resources in the service of God and man]; and have dominion over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, and over every living creature that moves upon the earth. 29 And God said, See, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of all the land and every tree with seed in its fruit; you shall have them for food. 30 And to all the animals on the earth and to every bird of the air and to everything that creeps on the ground—to everything in which there is the breath of life—I have given every green plant for food. And it was so.

5/19/2024

Ezekiel's 23rd Psalm

These verses in Ezekiel sound like the 23rd Psalm - the Good Shepherd, provision in the beauty and food of the land, rest and life with God,  The Bible is full of these images and assurances.  When themes repeat, God is showing what is core and what is Truth. 

Ezekiel 34:14–15 (NIV) 14 I will tend them in a good pasture, and the mountain heights of Israel will be their grazing land. There they will lie down in good grazing land, and there they will feed in a rich pasture on the mountains of Israel. 15 I myself will tend my sheep and have them lie down, declares the Sovereign Lord.

5/12/2024

Harming Others

In its simplest terms, sin harms. It doesn’t add to life. Sins are chronicled in the Bible, directly and via stories.  Ask God to show you if you are harming yourself or others, and ask him to show you his way. Don’t go to other people.  Go directly to God.  He is happy to help. 

Exodus 23:32-33 (TLB) 32 “You must make no covenant with them, nor have anything to do with their gods. 33 Don’t let them live among you! For I know that they will infect you with their sin of worshiping false gods, and that would be an utter disaster to you.”

5/5/2024

Slow to Learn

 

The Bible said then what we know now:  Humans are slow to learn from their mistakes and even more so from the mistakes of history!  God does what he can to help you see, but any lesson that is not learned now will return if it still needs to be learned.

Ecclesiastes 3:15 (TLB) 15 Whatever is has been long ago; and whatever is going to be has been before; God brings to pass again what was in the distant past and disappeared.

4/28/2024

Honor in Welcoming Others

 

A welcoming person is valued everywhere. Rebekah fetched water for a lone traveler and his camels.  She offered her Father’s home for dinner and accommodations. While what Rebekah literally did may be risky today, there is always honor in hospitality and welcoming others.

Genesis 24:17-25 (AMPC) 17 And the servant ran to meet her, and said, I pray you, let me drink a little water from your water jar. 18 And she said, Drink, my lord; and she quickly let down her jar onto her hand and gave him a drink.19 When she had given him a drink, she said, I will draw water for your camels also, until they finish drinking. 20 So she quickly emptied her jar into the trough and ran again to the well and drew water for all his camels. 21 The man stood gazing at her in silence, waiting to know if the Lord had made his trip prosperous. 22 And when the camels had finished drinking, the man took a gold earring or nose ring of half a shekel in weight, and for her hands two bracelets of ten shekels in weight in gold, 23 And said, Whose daughter are you? I pray you, tell me: Is there room in your father’s house for us to lodge there?

4/21/2024

Ears to Hear

 

All of the Bible deals in improving how you think and act. The perception that it is a book of rules written by Middle Eastern men, relevant only in those times, is far from what it is. The Bible is for all time and people, but you must have ears to hear to learn from it.

2 Peter 1:19-21 (TLB) 19 So we have seen and proved that what the prophets said came true. You will do well to pay close attention to everything they have written, for, like lights shining into dark corners, their words help us to understand many things that otherwise would be dark and difficult. But when you consider the wonderful truth of the prophets’ words, then the light will dawn your souls and Christ the Morning Star will shine in your hearts. 20-21 For no prophecy recorded in Scripture was ever thought up by the prophet himself. It was the Holy Spirit within these godly men who gave them true messages from God.

4/14/2024

Mercy of God

Paul is a perfect example of right attitude. Some of the most beautiful and inspirational passages in the Bible come from Paul, written in cold filthy jail cells or while under house arrest.  He was so grateful for God’s mercy and kindness, no matter where he was at the moment. 

1 Timothy 1: 12-17 (TLB) 12 How thankful I am to Christ Jesus our Lord for choosing me as one of his messengers, and giving me the strength to be faithful to him, 13 even though I used to scoff at the name of Christ. I hunted down his people, harming them in every way I could. But God had mercy on me because I didn’t know what I was doing, for I didn’t know Christ at that time. 14 Oh, how kind our Lord was, for he showed me how to trust him and become full of the love of Christ Jesus. 15 How true it is, and how I long that everyone   should know it, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—and I was the greatest of them all. 16 But God had mercy on me so that Christ Jesus could use me as an example to show everyone how patient he is with even the worst sinners, so that others will realize that they, too, can have everlasting life. 17 Glory and honor to God forever and ever. He is the King of the ages, the unseen one who never dies; he alone is God, and full of wisdom. Amen.

4/7/2024

Passages

 

Those who struggle to have children say they suffer greatly.  The trajectory of building a family is a treasure of love, sacrifice and purpose brought to you by God himself. The price of passage is more than just conceiving, it is the ability to put service to another ahead of your own needs. 

1 Corinthians 13:11 (NIV) 11 When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me.

3/31/2024

What does it mean to be "born again"?

When you are “born again,” you switch from an ego based awareness and intelligence to an experience with the enormity of God’s love and the lessons of Jesus. You suddenly see that this is the true reality - not what is called reality on earth - but God’s true eternal reality. 

1 Corinthians 3:18-23 (TLB) 18 Stop fooling yourselves. If you count yourself above average in intelligence, as judged by this world’s standards, you had better put this all aside and be a fool rather than let it hold you back from the true wisdom from above. 19 For the wisdom of this world is foolishness to God. As it says in the book of Job, God uses man’s own brilliance to trap him; he stumbles over his own “wisdom” and falls. 20 And again, in the book of Psalms, we are told that the Lord knows full well how the human mind reasons and how foolish and futile it is. 21 So don’t be proud of following the wise men of this world. For God has given you Paul and  Apollos and Peter as your helpers. He has given you the whole world to use, and life and even death are your servants. He has given you all of the present and all of the future. All are yours, 23 and you belong to Christ, and Christ is God’s.

3/24/2024

You can Run but you can't Hide

 

A good observation of people is that when they do things they have been warned against or know are wrong, they cover-up and hide. This is a guilty response and it is not a new phenomena:  Adam and Eve covered-up and hid from God in the Garden. 

Genesis 3:6-11 (NIV) 6 When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. 7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves. 8 Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden. 9 But the Lord God called to the man, “Where are you?” 10 He answered, “I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid.” 11 And he said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?”

3/17/2024

Love means to Respect

Love means to respect.  God respects your freewill, children are respected for their differences, Jewish law required respect for foreigners and animals. Jesus respected all classes of people. Being law abiding means you respect right authority.  Evil, by definition, is LACK of respect. 

Matthew 22:37-38 (TLB) 37 Jesus replied, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and mind.’ 38-39 This is the first and greatest commandment. The second most important is similar: ‘Love your neighbor as much as you love yourself.’

3/10/2024

Many paths to God?

There is a popular notion of “many paths to God.”  That means God can be, among other things, the Universe, Buddha, Allah or a pagan god. What the Bible says is that coming to the Father - by knowing who Jesus is, said and did - is exactly the one and only way to get there. 

John 14:4-6 (TLB) 4 And you know where I am going and how to get there.” 5 “No, we don’t,” Thomas said. “We haven’t any idea where you are going, so how can we know the way?” 6 Jesus told him, “I am the Way—yes, and the Truth and the Life. No one can get to the Father except by means of me.

3/3/2024

Locusts

There are many ways bad decisions are made, whether via the great locust, young locust, other locusts or great swarm locusts.  Because God loves justice so much, he promises he will repay you for the years the locusts have eaten.

Joel 2:25 (NIV) “I will repay you for the years the locusts have eaten—the great locust and the young locust, the other locusts and the locust swarm—my great army that I sent among you."

2/25/2024

Nicodemus and Jesus

 

Nicodemus was a member of a group that always tried to get Jesus in a “Gotcha!” Nicodemus yearned for Truth so he went directly to Jesus at night to avoid being seen. Friends (or church traditions) may not always encourage it, but God loves an independent questioning mind.

John 3:1-4 (TLB) 3 1-2 After dark one night a Jewish religious leader named Nicodemus, a member of the sect of the Pharisees, came for an interview with Jesus. “Sir,” he said, “we all know that God has sent you to teach us. Your miracles are proof enough of this.” 3 Jesus replied, “With all the earnestness I possess I tell you this: Unless you are born again, you can never get into the Kingdom of God.” 4 “Born again!” exclaimed Nicodemus. “What do you mean? How can an old man go back into his mother’s womb and be born again?”

2/18/2024

God is Light

Once you experience the light of Christ, the contrast between light and dark can’t be more obvious. You begin to see dark habits in your life. Jesus will heal every bit of darkness that you bring to him.  Bring your unrighteousness to him every single day and let him cleanse you. 

1 John 1: 5-7 (TLB) 5 This is the message God has given us to pass on to you: that God is Light and in him is no darkness at all. 6 So if we say we are his friends but go on living in spiritual darkness and sin, we are lying. 7 But if we are living in the light of God’s presence, just as Christ does, then we have wonderful fellowship and joy with each other, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from every sin.

2/11/2024

No Intention of Changing

 

God was about to bring the hammer down in Judah when they asked what they could do to change his mind. Do you really think that you can steal, murder, commit adultery, lie, and worship Baal…? Even though they asked they really had no intention of changing these things and didn’t.

Jeremiah 7:5-11 (TLB) 5 You may remain under these conditions only: If you stop your wicked thoughts and deeds and are fair to others; 6 if you stop exploiting orphans, widows, and foreigners, and stop your murdering; if you stop worshiping idols as you do now to your hurt, 7 then, and only then, will I let you stay in this land that I gave to your fathers to keep forever. 8 You think that because the Temple is here, you will never suffer? Don’t fool yourselves! 9 Do you really think that you can steal, murder, commit adultery, lie, and worship Baal and all of those new gods of yours, 10 and then come here and stand before me in my Temple and chant, “We are saved!”—only to go right back to all these evil things again? 11 Is my Temple but a den of robbers in your eyes? For I see all the evil going on in there.

2/4/2024

Where is your Beautiful Flock?

Where is your flock … your beautiful flock he gave you to take care of? Is there anything more devastating than knowing you blew everything - not anyone else - but you? It may be a time of great personal loss but also a time when you can begin again and do it right with God.

Jeremiah 13:20 (TLB) 20 See the armies marching from the north! Where is your flock, Jerusalem, your beautiful flock he gave you to take care of?

1/28/2024

Standing at the Door

 

Good chooses his people. It is no coincidence or mistake when he chooses you. He is constantly knocking. You know it his him when you are able to sense and identify something profoundly bigger than yourself asking you to give him your ego and carnal identity.

Revelation 3:20 (TLB) 20 “Look! I have been standing at the door, and I am constantly knocking. If anyone hears me calling him and opens the door, I will come in and fellowship with him and he with me.

1/21/2024

Take away this Cup

 

Jesus prayed all the time. He asked God if he would “take away this cup of horror.”  He used his free will to accept what God wanted for him, as awful as it was in that moment. He knew his purpose, power and success came solely from the Father, not anything else.

2 Corinthians 3:3-6 (TLB) 3 They can see that you are a letter from Christ, written by us. It is not a letter written with pen and ink, but by the Spirit of the living God; not one carved on stone, but in human hearts. 4 We dare to say these good things about ourselves only because of our great trust in God through Christ, that he will help us to be true to what we say, 5 and not because we think we can do anything of lasting value by ourselves. Our only power and success comes from God.

1/14/2024